Friday, September 15, 2006
#200 / Expectations
It is hard to believe that I've written 200 of these things. Two years ago, if someone would have mentioned the word “blog,” I would have thought they were a misinformed “Star Trek The Next Generation” (threw that in for you Steve) fan mispronouncing “Borg.” I guess when it comes to blogging “resistance is futile.” Now on to my post.
This was relayed to me by our preacher and good friend, Don. Don has a nephew that worships with a small conservative Baptist church in our area. Their membership numbers around 50. Their church building now sits in a predominately African American neighborhood while most if not all their members are white. The decision was made to sell their building which just took place a couple of weeks ago. The buyers were the members of an African American Pentecostal Church. Two Sundays ago, the sellers and buyers decided to hold a joint service together to remember and honor the past as well as usher in the new future. It was here that the angst began.
According to Don’s nephew, they (white Baptist members) were worried about the joint service. It wasn’t that they had anything against the new buyers. They just knew that the Pentecostal folks were quite a bit more demonstrative during worship than they were. So some of the Baptist folks decided they would try to go outside their comfort zones during worship by trying to be a bit more extroverted themselves.
So Sunday came, two groups worshiping together, one Baptist, one Pentecostal, one black, one white and guess what happened? According to Don’s nephew, it quickly became apparent during worship that the white Baptist folks were much more vocal than usual. This was met by an almost placid African American Pentecostal group. For as much as the Baptist folks tried to amp it up, the Pentecostal folks were throttling back the stick on their worship so as to not offend the sellers!
How about that? I don’t know about you but other than the fact that the image is funny, I’m encouraged by the charity and collegiality both groups demonstrated towards each other.
Have a good week family.
This was relayed to me by our preacher and good friend, Don. Don has a nephew that worships with a small conservative Baptist church in our area. Their membership numbers around 50. Their church building now sits in a predominately African American neighborhood while most if not all their members are white. The decision was made to sell their building which just took place a couple of weeks ago. The buyers were the members of an African American Pentecostal Church. Two Sundays ago, the sellers and buyers decided to hold a joint service together to remember and honor the past as well as usher in the new future. It was here that the angst began.
According to Don’s nephew, they (white Baptist members) were worried about the joint service. It wasn’t that they had anything against the new buyers. They just knew that the Pentecostal folks were quite a bit more demonstrative during worship than they were. So some of the Baptist folks decided they would try to go outside their comfort zones during worship by trying to be a bit more extroverted themselves.
So Sunday came, two groups worshiping together, one Baptist, one Pentecostal, one black, one white and guess what happened? According to Don’s nephew, it quickly became apparent during worship that the white Baptist folks were much more vocal than usual. This was met by an almost placid African American Pentecostal group. For as much as the Baptist folks tried to amp it up, the Pentecostal folks were throttling back the stick on their worship so as to not offend the sellers!
How about that? I don’t know about you but other than the fact that the image is funny, I’m encouraged by the charity and collegiality both groups demonstrated towards each other.
Have a good week family.
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Reminds me of a WKRP episode when Venus Flytrap was worried about an interview he was to have with a very edgy progressive black magazine so he goes all out and dresses like an African Zulu war lord or something. When he gets there he meets the mag rep, Tom Dreeson, very white in a conservative business suit! Hilarious! And it was all about expectations and trying to accomodate someone else.
Great story!
One of the great testimonies to Christian unity has been the sharing one building in Satellite Beach by two churches: Prince of Peace Anglican and Our Father's House. Ministers from both churches are in my Tuesday Pastors' Prayer group. When Prince of Peace needed a place to worship while acquiring a new facility, Our Father's House open their doors to them and said, "We'll share with you." So each Sunday for over a year, one church has had Bible classes while the other church has worship and then they flip flop.
Wil the world know us for our love?
God be praised.
Peace.
One of the great testimonies to Christian unity has been the sharing one building in Satellite Beach by two churches: Prince of Peace Anglican and Our Father's House. Ministers from both churches are in my Tuesday Pastors' Prayer group. When Prince of Peace needed a place to worship while acquiring a new facility, Our Father's House open their doors to them and said, "We'll share with you." So each Sunday for over a year, one church has had Bible classes while the other church has worship and then they flip flop.
Wil the world know us for our love?
God be praised.
Peace.
This is so true to my life-experiences. Although I wasn't in that worship gathering, I've been in many gatherings just like it. When things like this happen, I can imagine the Lord turning to the Father and saying something like: "They're trying, aren't they? They are really trying!"
Thanks for posting this story.
Blessings to you and yours,
-bill
Thanks for posting this story.
Blessings to you and yours,
-bill
I agree with everyone, this is a great thing. I wonder if we will ever see the day when we can say like the new testament, "The church at Florence" or "the church at Cocoa." You never know.
Speaking of Star Trek, this sounds like the movie, "The Undiscovered Country" where the Federation tried to mix and mingle with the Klingons. Captain Kirk ask the question in that movie, "How can this ever get past people like me?" It was hard for him to try the whole unity thing, and I think it would be hard for us as well.
But we must continue to try. Jesus paryed that we (Christ followers) all be one, just like He was in the Father and the Father in Him.
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Speaking of Star Trek, this sounds like the movie, "The Undiscovered Country" where the Federation tried to mix and mingle with the Klingons. Captain Kirk ask the question in that movie, "How can this ever get past people like me?" It was hard for him to try the whole unity thing, and I think it would be hard for us as well.
But we must continue to try. Jesus paryed that we (Christ followers) all be one, just like He was in the Father and the Father in Him.
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